Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Of Viral In-Vivo Persistence: Some Hard Ebola News, As Scottish Nurse Hospitalized Again


Out of respect for the patient's privacy, UK outlets have indicated overnight that there may be little in the way of updates as to her condition. [Earlier run-down here.]

For my part, I simply want to applaud her bravery (now facing a third battle, apparently related to her original diagnosis in late 2014), and wish her a speedy and full recovery. We will keep her in our morning mantras, and will as ever, seek only the very good -- the good that may come from her eventual recovery.

We should note, as it relates to this blog's narrative, that her contacts -- since she was last released from hospital in November of 2015 -- are being offered the Merck experimental Ebola vaccine, as a precaution. No word on how many have been or will be vaccinated -- in Britain and/or Scotland this time around. We may also infer -- though this has not yet been confirmed -- that Gilead is or will be supplying its experimental GS-5734 treatment, once again, for her doctor's use, and under close supervision. Here is The Guardian (UK) story on it:

. . . .Pauline Cafferkey, the British nurse who contracted Ebola in west Africa, is in a “stable condition” after being admitted to hospital for the third time since her return. . . .

On Tuesday, it emerged that Cafferkey, from South Lanarkshire, was being treated again at the Glasgow hospital.

An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesman said: "Ms Cafferkey was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University hospital under routine monitoring by the infectious diseases unit. She is undergoing further investigations and her condition remains stable."

He stressed that, in the interests of patient confidentiality, there would not be regular updates on her condition. . . .


As hard as this news is, we also know that life -- in all its graceful, sublime, and free-flowing forms, will find a way. And she will -- we hope -- soon be restored. Keep her in your thoughts. Namaste, one and all.

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